What's On Your Plate? part 3: Protein

Another macro nutrient is protein. "Protein is essential to human life. Your skin, bones, muscles and organ tissue all contain protein. Protein is found in your blood, hormones and enzymes, too. Protein sources include both plant and animal products" (Mayo Clinic staff, 2009).

Protein is found in two main sources plant and animal but which source is better. In the past it was believed that animal protein is superior to plant protein. It was said that one could no get complete protein from plants but research has found that eating a wide variety of plant based foods can supply all the protein the body needs. The Mayo Clinic staff in the article 'Healthy diet: End the guesswork with these nutrition guidelines' had this to say, "emphasize plant sources of protein, such as beans, lentils and soy, choose lean meats, and try to include seafood twice a week" (2009). You will notice that the advice from the Mayo Clinic emphasized plant base protein.

Animal protein has no fiber so it stays longer to go through the system. As it sits in the intestines it becomes putrefied (rot) and as was mentioned in my last post, a toxin is given, as microbes work on the food, which enters the blood stream and can cause auto-intoxication.

Too much protein can cause the loss of calcium. When protein is digested and metabolized the by product is uric acid, the body cannot handle uric acid so to get rid of it the body draws calcium from the bones to coat the uric acid and then dispose of it through the urine. That is why urine contain uric acid, which is used as a fertilizer for plants.

Protein is one of the body's energy source along with carbohydrates, and fats. The guideline from the Mayo Clinic staff is that 10 to 35 percent of total daily calories should come from protein. Based on a 2000-calorie-a-day diet, this amounts to about 50 to 175 grams a day.